13.3. Setting a Boot Loader Password

GRUB reads many file systems without
the help of an operating system. An operator can interrupt the
booting sequence to choose a different operating system to boot,
change boot options, or recover from a system error. However,
these functions may introduce serious security risks in some
environments. You can add a password to
GRUB so that the operator must enter
the password to interrupt the normal boot sequence.

GRUB Passwords Not Required

You may not require a GRUB password
if your system only has trusted operators, or is physically
secured with controlled console access. However, if an untrusted
person can get physical access to your computer's keyboard and
monitor, that person can reboot the system and access
GRUB. A password is helpful in this
case.

To set a boot password, select the Use a boot loader
password check box. The Change
password button will become active. Select
Change password to display an entry dialog.
Type the desired password, and then confirm it by typing it again
in the spaces provided.

Choose a Good Password

Choose a password that is easy for you to remember but hard for
others to guess.

13.3.1. Forgotten GRUB Passwords

GRUB stores the password in encrypted
form, so it cannot be read or recovered. If
you forget the boot password, boot the system normally and then
change the password entry in the
/boot/grub/grub.conf file. If you cannot
boot, you may be able to use the "rescue" mode on the first Fedora
installation disc to reset the GRUB password.

If you do need to change the GRUB
password, use the grub-md5-crypt utility. For
information on using this utility, use the command man
grub-md5-crypt in a terminal window to read the
manual pages.